Prelude to Space
Stokey Pop Up, London, UK
Co-curated with Yueh-Ning Lee, Yiwen Li and Jiayu Sun.
Featured artists:
Vivian Y.L., Adam Boyd, Zinong Zhang, Yiwen Li, Sophie Rogers, Frederika Dalwood,
Estefania B. Flores, Chaney Diao, Anouk Verviers, Stela Brix, Marisa di Monda,
Songwon Han, Wenxuan Chen, Ruilin Fu, Akshay Bhoan, Jo McGarry, Lucy Meeber,
W.U.D.S. (。ì _ í。) vs W.U.D.S. ( ಥ_ಥ ), Seungyeop Shin, Jiayu Sun, DangLa གདང་ལ
As technologies increasingly penetrate daily life up to the most intimate parts of it, how our perception of the physical world would change in the future?
Written in the late 1940s, ‘Prelude to Space’ is a fiction novel in which Arthur Clarke envisions how Mankind first reached the Moon a few decades later. The text serves as a starting point for the exhibition, allowing the artists to reflect on how the human-space relationship has been expanded from the exploration of outer to virtual space. In the same way, this shift from analogue to digital changes the perception of our body, which is no longer considered to be the isolated, autonomous self. Instead, it becomes immersed into data flows in which people and machines become part of a single intertwined system.
Bringing together the artworks of 21 different artists whose practices span from video installation, animation, internet art to VR, Prelude to Space explores this new domain in which the digital becomes an integral part of the material world, affecting the way we perceive ourselves and the world around us.
General Information + List of Works
1. (left) Estefania B. Flores, Untitled, 2022. Resin, volcanic ash, pigments, electronics, mild steel, 90×50×40 cm. Image courtesy the artist and Anastasia Chugunova.
2. (right) Frederika Dalwood, Door Ajar, 2022. Digital print, acrylic glass, 60×80 cm. Image courtesy the artist and Anastasia Chugunova.
1. (front) Stela Brix, everything you touch, touches you back, 2022. Mixed-media installation, dimensions variable. Image courtesy the artist and Anastasia Chugunova.
2. (back) Zinong Zhang, Mirror mirror on the wall, 2022. Metal, dimensions variable. Image courtesy the artist and Anastasia Chugunova.
(left and right) Stela Brix, everything you touch, touches you back, 2022. Mixed-media installation, dimensions variable. Image courtesy the artist and Anastasia Chugunova.
Celeste Viv Ly, - 321 °F: 1̵̨̥͇͚̽͗́3̵̰̆̈3̵̥̝͈̤̙͕̈͋̀͛͝͝͝͝°̵̤̩̓̇ͅ ̷̲͛7̵͈̃9̵̗̳͔͕̮̻̟̓̈̀̕.̸̗̀̀̈́̐͆̈́͝5̷͇̰͇͉̗̝͑̿1̴̢̡̖͙̓͒͒́̒̎5̴͖͕̗͙̿̍̂̈̑́̈́̒̕͜ ̷̺̿̉͠N̶͉̗͚̍̀͗̀͝͝ ̴̧͉̝̽̊̓͐͠0̷̢̩̥̝̣͔̼̲͐̄͂͗͌1̸͕̈2̶̺̠͍͈͙͍̻͕̾̀̈͊̀°̵̘͗͋͂͛̅͒̌ͅ ̶̺͕̘̱̮̅̍͊̃͛̓9̸̨̩̱͕̥͚̲̩̀̌̄͜͝͝0̴͇͍̲̰͇̩̪̆̍̽̌͝.̷͖͛̓͆͠7̸̡̬͓͎͛́̈͗̓̐͆͗̚9̸͍̦̍7̷̮̯̱͈͖̱̰̓͛͒͛̿̈́͘͘ ̵̢̬̗̣̥̻̭̙͙͋̏͌Ë̴̠̣͚̥̙̣͙́̽͋̑̈̎̌͊, 2022. Wax, dyed dark coloured seawater, burette clamps, flask ring clamps, steel tube, steel chains, stainless steel trays, stainless steel laboratory scissor jack stand, icicles made of seawater transported from 133° 79.515 N 012° 90.797 E, a ‘non-existent’ location at sea, dimensions variable. Photographed and edited by Celeste Viv Ly. Images courtesy the artist.
1. (left) Adam Boyd, Tramlines, 2022. Quilted taffeta, cotton, bleached cotton duct, felt, photo-transfer on canvas, batting and thread, 144.5×135 cm. Image courtesy the artist and Anastasia Chugunova.
2. (right) Songwon Han, Bodily Fluid (l) and Bodily Fluid (ll), 2022. Laser etching on perspex, 60×40 cm. Image courtesy the artist and Anastasia Chugunova.
W.U.D.S. (。ì _ í。) vs W.U.D.S. ( ಥ_ಥ ), How to Raise Flower Bulbs, 2022. Flute, helmet, artificial hydrangea, cable tie, expanding foam, wood, screw, plastic, 26×60×28 cm. Image courtesy the artist and Anastasia Chugunova.
1. (left) Yiwen Li, Sliver, 2022. Video installation, 300×300 cm. Image courtesy the artist and Anastasia Chugunova.
2. (right) Installation view of ‘Prelude to Space’, 2022. Stokey Pop Up, London, UK. Image courtesy Anastasia Chugunova.